SSRI treatment suppresses dream recall frequency but increases subjective dream intensity in normal subjects.
Journal of Sleep Research June 1, 2001 E F Pace-Schott, T Gersh, R Silvestri et al.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as paroxetine and fluvoxamine affect dreaming in distinct ways. In 14 healthy volunteers, dream recall frequency decreased during treatment compared to baseline, while subjective dream intensity increased during both treatment and acute discontinuation. Dream report length and bizarreness, as rated by judges, increased during acute discontinuation, particularly in those taking fluvoxamine. REM sleep propensity decreased during treatment, while REM sleep intensity increased during discontinuation. The findings suggest that decreased dream frequency during SSRI treatment may reflect serotonergic suppression of REM sleep, whereas increased dream length and bizarreness during discontinuation may reflect cholinergic rebound.